Our little dude is due in 12 weeks-ish and I’m so sad my parents don’t like his name!
We are naming him: [name_m]Willem[/name_m] [name_u]River[/name_u].
Immediately they started harping on me on how many people will call him [name_m]William[/name_m] his entire life and it sounds like a mouthful and on and on
We have been keeping his name secret publicly and won’t be sharing on FB or anything until he’s born. Can someone give me some positive feedback? We love his name, I just haven’t been able to really get a good reaction from anyone because we’ve been keeping it under wraps! His 9 year old sister is Aeralyn [name_u]Sage[/name_u].
I think [name_m]Willem[/name_m] [name_u]River[/name_u] is a very strong and wonderful name. People may mishear it at first because [name_m]William[/name_m] is so popular, but it shouldn’t be a problem. Plus, Aeralyn and [name_m]Willem[/name_m] are fantastic together.
Thank you! We’ve come to learn that people will say almost anything wrong- they definitely say Aeralyn’s name wrong ([name_u]Ariel[/name_u], [name_f]Arleen[/name_f], etc.) but it’s a quick fix and I love his name- it sort of reminds me of the beautiful delicacy of [name_f]Willow[/name_f] but with the strength of [name_m]William[/name_m]. He’s named after a very important teacher in my husband’s life.
[name_m]Willem[/name_m] [name_u]River[/name_u] is very handsome. Your parents need to understand that they are not naming this child and they do not need to love the name. I am sure their choices and names they love are not loved by everyone. We all have our likes and dislikes. Thank goodness my extended family does not believe they have the right to interfere in things like this.
Totally agree. They named me [name_u]Ashley[/name_u]- I know about 4 billion Ashleys’. My husband’s parents were ALL about [name_m]Willem[/name_m]'s name. I’m definitely not changing it just because my parents are having issues. I was just SO excited to announce his name to them and they completely ruined it for me. Bah. Good to hear some positive feedback. Thanks!
It’s also mainly why we’re not announcing it publicly. I don’t want a ton of negative feedback about his name. It’s harder to do that when you’re showing a baby with a name
Although I am more familiar with [name_m]William[/name_m], I think that you should name your son [name_m]Willem[/name_m] if you want to! For one thing, I really love [name_u]River[/name_u]!
Funny that the issue is the e vs the a.
People aren’t going to be constantly calling him [name_m]William[/name_m] they are constantly going to be calling him [name_m]Will[/name_m]. I mean seriously think about it, how many [name_m]Williams[/name_m] do you know that actually go by [name_m]William[/name_m] instead of [name_m]Bill[/name_m] or [name_m]Will[/name_m]?
Also saying “[name_m]Willem[/name_m] with an e instead of an a.” Isn’t a big deal. I think it’s much more interesting with your daughters name and maybe you can get your parents on board with a nn they like. [name_m]Will[/name_m], [name_m]Bill[/name_m], [name_m]Lem[/name_m] are the obvious ones but I’m sure you can come up with something awesome they’ll like. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t change it because they aren’t used to this spelling. [name_m]Willem[/name_m] [name_u]River[/name_u] is handsome and intriguing. I think you made a great choice.
I think [name_m]Willem[/name_m] [name_u]River[/name_u] is a great name! [name_m]Both[/name_m] have been on my list for boys in the past, but “W” names don’t really work for me as our last name starts with “W”. And my dh doesn’t care for [name_u]River[/name_u], but I however love it and would use it in a heartbeat! This combo is charming and strong. Use it no matter what they think, it will most likely grow on them and if not-oh well! He’s your son! My parents and the rest of the family gave us mixed feedback on many of the names that we considered and even used…ultimately it just has to come down to Mom and Dad
I have looooved [name_u]River[/name_u] for so long, but my husband never wanted it for a boy. Luckily because [name_m]Willem[/name_m] is an important name in HIS life, I got to throw the “[name_u]River[/name_u]” in there and he eyed me for a minute and then said, “[name_m]Ah[/name_m], ok”
Oh my… if that was me i would have said ‘well you can call him [name_m]WILL[/name_m]…’ - And in any case will smith is a [name_m]Willem[/name_m]… i think its a differnt twist on william and willow… Not the point but that’s a willem that i know of lol!
[name_m]Willem[/name_m] [name_u]River[/name_u] is really nice! I think that any name that you pick will have some flaw to it, every name does. This name has no negative meaning or association, it isn’t made up or incredibly confusing, it isn’t hard to pronounce or spell, all-in-all a great choice! I think that the issue is not the name but the lack of boundaries these critics have!
Thanks! My parents were blown away when I was upset. They said it was “their job” to tell me about all of the negatives about a name so I wouldn’t make a mistake. O.o
They could not understand why I would ever consider it super rude for my Dad, upon me telling him what his first Grandson’s name would be, to say, “Are you kidding me?! What are you doing to that kid?!” sigh.
[name_m]Willem[/name_m] [name_u]River[/name_u] is so handsome! I’m glad you’re keeping it. You ought to remind your parents that if they don’t like [name_m]Willem[/name_m], they can always call him [name_m]Will[/name_m] as a nickname.
My parents hated my son’s name at first too. We just ignored them since we truly loved the name we picked. They will get used to it. I have met someone with a son named [name_m]Willem[/name_m]. Honestly, I thought she was saying [name_m]William[/name_m] the wrong way at first. If you love it, that is all that matters.
